A major upset as the U.S. men's basketball team stumbles, losing 79-87 to the Dominican Republic. Fans say this squad isn't even a top-10 team.

On February 27, Beijing time, the FIBA Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers proceeded with another round of matches. A highly anticipated game just ended in a stunning upset: the U.S. men's basketball team, playing at home, was defeated 79-87 by the Dominican Republic, marking its first loss in the current World Cup qualifiers. The result was eye-opening, though not completely surprising given the clearly limited strength of this U.S. team. Fans have commented that this lineup isn't even worthy of being called a 10th-tier team!

The U.S. men's basketball team is traditionally the world's strongest, with immense talent depth. Due to the domestic NBA schedule, the U.S. often treats international competitions other than the Olympics with less seriousness, sending lesser-known players. This World Cup qualifying campaign is no exception. However, the team had won two consecutive games before this match. In this round, they faced the strong Dominican Republic at home, aiming for a third straight victory.

After the game began, the U.S. team started slowly, struggling with poor shooting and scoring difficulties. The Dominican Republic came out firing, building a 21-11 lead to go up by 10 points. In the second quarter, the U.S. team's scoring efficiency improved significantly, gaining momentum and slightly cutting into the deficit. By halftime, the U.S. trailed by 6 points. After the break, the Dominican Republic surged again, overwhelming the U.S. with a 31-20 third quarter to extend the lead to 17 points. In the final period, the U.S. team refused to give up, organizing attacks to narrow the gap and bring back suspense. Despite significantly reducing the deficit, they ultimately fell short of completing a comeback, suffering a shocking loss to the Dominican Republic and tasting their first defeat in the qualifiers.

In this game, the Dominican Republic had five players score in double figures, showcasing far superior scoring ability compared to the U.S. team. The primary reason for the U.S. loss is that this squad isn't even a top-10 level team; it largely consists of players who aren't regular contributors in professional leagues. No established NBA players participate, with familiar names like Knight and Wiseman being the exceptions.

By / Sports Story